Santa Maria in Vallicella, also called Chiesa Nuova

Santa Maria in Vallicella, also called Chiesa Nuova, is a church in Rome, facing the alley of Corso Vittorio. Pope Gregory I built the first church on the site. By the 12th century, it was dedicated to Santa Maria in Vallicella (Our Lady in the Little Valley). In the 16th century, St. Philip Neri, helped by cardinal Pierdonato Cesi and Pope Gregory XIII, had the church rebuilt. When Pierdonato died, his brother Angelo Cesi, Bishop of Todi, continued his family's patronage[1]. Initially the architect was Martino Longhi the Elder, but he was replaced later by Matteo da Castello. The nave was completed in 1577, and the church was consecrated in 1599. The facade, designed by Fausto Rughesi, was completed in 1605 or 1606. The Cesi heraldry is still evident in the church.